Beautiful Disaster
by LiveinLivingColor
Summary: Amber Von Tussle is more than meets the eye. A series of Ambercentric vignettes, musicalverse. Various pairings included.
1. Beautiful Disaster

"_I can't get it to zip!" _

_Amber Von Tussle was tugging furiously at her dress, almost falling into the wall in the dressing room. Velma sighed and rolled her eyes, stepping closer to pull the zipper up. When it didn't budge, she scowled down at Amber._

"_Well, I guess you'll need to lose some weight before you can wear it, then." She said, letting the fabric fall from her hands. _

"_Why don't we just get a bigger size?" Amber asked, trying to make the dress fit._

"_A bigger size? Are you _insane_?" Velma hissed, snapping towards her daughter, "You're already a size six."_

"_For God's sake, mother, it's not that big of a deal."_

"_What size do Shelly and Brenda wear, Amber?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. _

_Amber looked down at the floor and mumbled, "Four."_

"_Well, there you have it."_

"_How's anyone even going to _know_?"_

"_The tags, Amber, people can read." With that, Velma grabbed her purse and turned towards the door. _

"_Get dressed, I'll meet you in front. One more diet and you'll be in that dress."_

_Amber stood in front of the dressing room mirror, holding the dress up, and sighed. No matter what, it would never be good enough for her mother, would it?_

Now, Amber was standing alone in the studio, the lights dimmed and the seats empty. The cameras had been rolled away, and Link and Tracy- the new happy couple- had long since left to go to a party at Motormouth Maybelle's record shop. She'd been invited half-heartedly by Penny, who didn't have the heart to be mean, but Amber had declined and instead opted to stay at the studio.

Velma had already been through her spiel about Amber never being good enough, how Von Tussles were supposed to be winners, and in the end had stormed off, leaving Amber to walk home. So she sat on the floor in the center of the studio, her dressed pooled around her. She thought about Link, and how she'd lost him to Tracy. She wondered if he was ever even remotely attracted to her, and then thought about Tracy herself. She thought about all the things she'd said to her, the comments in the school hallway, the insults she'd said to Shelley and Lou Ann, making sure she was loud enough for Tracy to hear. She thought about her mother, who'd been insulting Amber since she was in her first pageant when she was six, and realized that it was the same thing. She'd turned _into_ Velma, taking what she wanted and shoving everyone else out of the way to get to it.

She thought about Seaweed and Penny and Tracy and Link, and how they would be happier than she and Link ever would have been. He didn't love her, she knew that. She was a pretty girl, that was for sure, but she had nothing else to offer. What did she have left now, anyway? What was the point? She'd be going home to a psychotic mother who'd make her fit into smaller sized dresses and take dance lessons and smile for the camera even when she felt like crying.

Tears blurred her vision and she realized that she'd been holding it all back for all of these years, letting her mother step all over her and putting on an act for the rest of the world. She pretended to have friends who adored her, when really she knew they called her a whore and a bitch behind her back. Who was she, anyway? She'd turned into someone that she didn't know, and it scared the hell out of her.

"Damnit," she cursed, the tears escaping, and for the first time in ten years, she cried. Not a fake cry for the camera or to get what she wanted or to make people feel sorry for her, but a real, honest cry.

"Amber?" a voice echoed in the empty studio and she stopped, abruptly. Corny Collins stood before her, his coat pulled around him. "What are you still doing here?"

She realized that he'd been in his office the whole time, and tried to find the best way out.

"Nothing," she said quickly, trying to stand up, "I'm going now."

"Hey, wait." He said, taking her arm, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, why would you think that? Nothing's ever _allowed_ to be wrong when you're a Von Tussle." She said bitterly, her voice hoarse.

"Amber," he said, softer now and less accusatory, "Come on."

She sighed, and he dropped her arm. "My boyfriend, who never really loved me in the first place, dumped me. She mother's a lunatic who's _obsessed_ with making me perfect. My friends, who never liked me in the first place, think I'm a total bitch. And they're right, too, which is the worst part. I don't even know who I _am_ anymore. I didn't _want_ to be like this! She made me this way!" Tears reformed against her will and she felt him pull his arms around her, pulling her to him.

"I'm sorry." He said, simply, "I'm so sorry."

A hug, a simple, regular hug, and she immediately felt safer even through her crying. Her mother hadn't shown the least bit of affection for her since she was seven, at least, none that wasn't for the camera.

"I'll tell you what," he said, keeping his arm around her shoulder, "We're going to go get ice cream. Two scoops, with caramel and hot fudge and sprinkles and whipped cream, just you and me. You know why?"

She shook her head, wiping her eyes.

"Because Velma would _hate it_."

A/N: Any thoughts? Good? Bad? Somewhere in the middle?


	2. Dance Lessons

A/N; I decided, through reading some reviews and thinking about it, that I really want to continue this. It's basically going to be a series of drabbles or vignettes, centered on Amber. There may be some pairings involved in some, but mostly it's just Amber. This is really similar to what I did in my Grey's Anatomy story Bound By Love, if anyone's read that. Anyway, here we go.

And thanks so much to EVERYONE who reviewed; all of you were so nice!

"_Five, six, seven, eight!"_

The dancers on the Corny Collins show twisted, mamboed and mashed-potatoed their way across the dance floor, Corny standing to the side clapping the rhythm of the music and calling out dance steps.

"That's to the right, Shelley, the right! Lou Ann, move over, you're going to knock someone over. Fender, get that _out_ of your pants!"

Corny heard groans of frustration coming from the group as they adjusted to his directions and finished out the dance, all of them falling immediately to the floor.

"Okay, okay, we're done. I'll see you all after school on Monday for the show, _don't _be late!"

Corny retreated to his office and the group started to move, congregating towards the benches where they had put down their jackets, bags and water.

"This is _insane_." Brenda muttered, taking a long drink of water.

"I know! How can he make us rehearse on Saturdays?!" Shelley sounded equally annoyed.

Amber walked over to them to get her things, forcing a smile and keeping her head high even though she was just as exhausted as the rest of them.

"Well, we wouldn't _have to_ if some people would actually learn the dance steps correctly." Amber said sweetly, sending daggers at Tammy with her eyes.

"It's not fair!" Tammy whined from her position sprawled across the bench. "How come you don't practice at all, but you always get the steps right?"

Amber shrugged, pulling her bag over her shoulder, "I guess it's just natural talent."

With that, she left the group, a smile playing on her lips. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

XXX

"You've almost got it, just turn on your right foot instead of your left." Corny stood on the dance floor watching Amber attempt the steps, smiling as she finally got them correct.

He sighed, "Perfect. That's it."

Amber slouched forward, "Thank _God._ I thought we'd _never_ be done! _Why_ is this so hard?"

Corny laughed, "It's not, you just need a little more…_work_ than the others."

She glared at him, arms crossed. "You let a word of this get out to anyone and I'll personally attack you. I'm not kidding."

"Lighten up, Amber; it's not a big deal. So what if they know you come for extra dance lessons? It's making the show better."

"You wouldn't understand," she said, rolling her eyes at him, "I have a _reputation_ to uphold."

Corny scowled. "What, the reputation of being the daughter of the world's biggest pain in the-" he cut himself off, noticing the hurt flash before her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's fine. You're right."

She turned on her heel and walked quickly towards the door, her heels clicking on the tile.

"Amber, wait! I didn't mean to insult her."

"You think I care about that?" she whipped around to face him, eyes burning, "It's true. She's a total bitch."

"Then what-"

"I can't turn out like her. I won't _let myself_ turn out like her."

"Then maybe you should stop insulting the other dancers." He suggested, then paused, "And everyone else in the world."

When she didn't answer, he stepped closer. "Look, Amber, at this point, what your mother thinks doesn't really matter to me. She's wrong about a lot of things, and if you're going to turn out to be a decent human being, you have to learn not to listen to her."

She shrugged, "I guess."

He smiled at her, hoping that she'd use his words for good.

"See you next Sunday?" she asked weakly, smiling slightly.

He nodded, watching her turn to walk away.

"And Amber?" he smiled again, "You're getting better. A lot better."

"Well, I'd better be. There are _so_ many things I could be doing instead of being stuck here with you."

He shrugged, "Name one."

She stuttered for a moment, trying to find an answer.

"Well, look at that, I've rendered a Von Tussle speechless."

"Hey, wait-"

"See you at the show tomorrow Amber."

"But-"

"3:30 sharp."

"Argh! You are _so _impossible!" She screeched, rushing out the door.

Corny simply laughed, walking back to his office. "A day in the life of a Von Tussle…"


	3. Lost Souls

Amber Von Tussle was not the kind of girl that got her heart broken.

She seemed to have had the perfect life: a leading spot on a popular dance show, popularity, beauty, and the always-present arm candy to keep the camera on her. She had never thought, through most of her teenage years, that she would ever be let down, that she'd ever feel lower than low, but she felt exactly that as she sat on a stool in a crowded bar in New York city, her glass half empty.

"Bad day?"

Amber looked up at the bartender, who was refilling her glass.

"More like a bad year." She replied, taking a sip of her drink as it burned her throat.

"Well, I'll tell you what," he said, "this one's on the house, then."

"Thanks." She managed, forcing a smile, then sighed as she realized for the millionth time how alone she was.

"Is this seat taken?"

She shook her head without looking up and said, "Unless you don't want to deal with a psychotic loser who's drowning her sorrows in alcohol."

"Isn't that why we're all stuck at this bar? I think we're all pretty much pathetic losers here, any sign of status goes out at the door."

Amber laughed, "Nice to meet you, I'm- Link?!" She almost choked on her drink, spinning her stool to face him, "What are you doing here?"

"Amber." He said, smiling slightly as he laughed. "I should ask the same of you. What would Velma say if she knew her perfect little girl was getting drunk in a New York bar?"

Amber rolled her eyes, "Like she cares. I haven't spoken to her in…months. But really, what's heartthrob Link Larkin doing here in the middle of the night?"

He sighed, "I needed to get away. Life…hasn't been great lately."

"Huh. That seems to be a common theme around here."

An awkward silence came over the two as they stared down into their glasses.

"So. How's Tracy?" Amber asked, turning to face him once again.

"I…I honestly don't know. I haven't seen her in a while. We…we broke up a few months ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought…since you were together the last time I saw you…"

"At graduation, right."

"God, it's really been that long?" Amber shook her head and sighed, "Time's flown by."

"You can say that again." He paused, "Penny and Seaweed got married over the summer."

"Yeah, I heard. I was going to go the wedding, but I figured…it would be awkward, you know, considering that everyone there probably hates me."

Link didn't respond, taking a sip of his drink instead, then started, "So, how's Amber Von Tussle's life been over the past three years?"

"Well…" she stopped and sighed, "There's no point in lying to you. It's been pretty terrible, actually. My mother decided yet again that I wasn't good enough to meet her standards, which is usual for her. I…started seeing someone and they dumped me, so I moved here for college. I just…had to get away from Baltimore. There's too many bad memories there."

"I'm sorry." He said, not sure how to respond.

"It was Corny." Amber said, almost inaudibly.

"What?"

"The guy. It was Corny Collins. We were together the whole summer after graduation and into the next year. I thought I had fallen in love with him, thought he felt the same way about me, and then in June he decided that I wasn't enough for him, that he needed someone his own age, and just dumped me. Over the phone, by the way, while he was on vacation. Turns out he'd been cheating on me, anyway."

She felt tears gathering in her throat familiarly, and wondered why she was telling him all of this. Maybe alcohol really did make you tell everything, she thought, or maybe she just needed someone to listen. She didn't realize she'd started to cry, considering that she'd done so much of it lately, and she felt Link wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, listen." He said, pulling her closer to him, "You're too good for him, anyway. He didn't deserve you, and you didn't deserve to be treated like that."

"Oh, but I did." She managed, laughing bitterly, "I was such a _bitch_ to everyone my whole life, and this is what I get in return. I deserved it."

She was crying in semi-hysterics at this point and people were starting to glance over at the counter. Link slapped some money on the table and pulled her up off her stool, holding her up as they stumbled out of the bar and leaned on the wall of the building.

"Okay, now come here."

He pulled her into his arms, "God, Link, I don't even know who I am anymore. I turned into this…clone of my mother, and I'm not even my own person. I don't know where my life is going!"

"Shh, it's okay. You're okay."

Amber held onto him as if afraid he'd run away and leave her in the middle of the sidewalk, relishing in the feeling of safety he was giving her. She'd spent the last few months alone in her apartment, and it felt better to finally have someone who cared, someone to hold her when she cried.

"Why did I have to be such a bad person?" she cried, and he pulled away to look at her.

"Listen. You are _not_ a bad person. You made some mistakes, but you've more than paid for them, and any guy would be lucky to have you."

"Well, it's a good thing you think so, because no one else seems to." Her voice was hoarse, and she noticed the cold temperature for the first time as the wind hit her and she shivered.

"Let's get you home," he said, "how far do you live?"

"Two blocks east." She said, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he led her down the sidewalk.

XXX

"Can I ask you something?" she said, breaking the silence as they walked down the hall to her apartment door.

"Sure."

"Did you ever have feelings for me when we together? I mean, was it just for the camera?"

"I'm not going to lie; it was partially for the camera. We looked good together, we were the two main dancers, it was easy to make us look right on screen." He admitted, looking slightly embarrassed, "But Amber, I loved you. What we had wasn't fake. Those times we sat home watching a movie together or drove around the city, those were real. When we were alone, it wasn't for anyone but us."

She smiled, "I was hoping you'd say that, because…it would have been a waste. If neither of us had felt anything."

"Did you just do it for show?" he asked, "Or for your mom, or-"

"No. I pretended I did, because that's what she wanted, but I loved you. I always have." She said, slightly under her breath, "But that ship has sailed, so…it was nice seeing you again. Maybe we can go out to lunch sometime, or something…" she trailed off, fumbling with her key, when he grabbed her arm.

"Amber," he said seriously, forcing her to look up at him, "no other girl has ever compared to you."

She didn't realize how close they were until his lips were on hers and for the first time since the horrendous Corny incident, she didn't feel like she was putting on an act for anyone.

"Link," she said as they broke apart, "Are you sure? I mean, do you really want to get involved with this mess?"

He smiled, taking her hand in his, "We are two lost souls, Von Tussle. Why not be two lost souls together?"

A/N: Yeah. So. Apparently I have pairing confusion. I know I implied some Corny/Amber in earlier vignettes, but…Link/Amber has always been intriguing to me. I felt like they had a history that shouldn't be ignored. And I know, I know, everyone loves Trink, but it just seemed too easy to jump on that bandwagon with this story. This doesn't necessarily mean that Link/Amber is the only pairing I support; I just thought I'd explore it a little bit. Any thoughts? Link/Amber fans who think I'm not crazy? Trink fans who want to send me hate reviews? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?


	4. First Date

She had been watching him, from across the room, at every rehearsal and show for the past three weeks. The way he moved when he danced, his wink, his heart-melting smile; everything about him made her lose her concentration.

"Amber," Shelly hissed, mambo-ing her way over, "Pay attention."

Amber brought herself back into reality and tried to focus on the steps, realizing that she'd been falling behind. Knowing her mother's ways of persuasion (and threatening), the camera was probably on her, meaning that she had to look as if she at least somewhat knew what was going on.

"And…cut!"

The taping ended and the dancers slouched, letting their camera-induced smiles fade away. Exhaustion set in and Amber followed her friends to the dressing room, where cans of hairspray and bags full of extra clothes and makeup were strewn all over the counters.

"So, Amber," Tammy started, a smirk forming on her face, "You were staring at him again."

"Staring at who?" Amber asked, attempting to play it off as best she could as she gathered her things.

"_Link_." Tammy giggled, "You've been drooling over him ever since he came on the show."

Amber averted her eyes, "I have not. You're obviously seeing things. He's…not my type."

"_Right…_you keep telling yourself that." Shelly chimed in, giving her a knowing smile before walking away with Tammy.

Amber sighed. This was getting out of hand. She had to deal with the fact that he thought she was invisible and move on before another on-camera slip up.

XXX

"Oh, I'm sorry, didn't see you there." Link flashed his trademark smile as Amber grasped out to a chair to keep from falling over.

"Oh, that's okay, I was in the way." She said, her face turning red. "Well. Um, I guess I'd better go. The show starts soon, so…"

"Right, good idea."

They started to walk in opposite directions when his voice caused her to whip back around.

"Amber, wait. Would you…maybe…like to go out with me sometime?"

Everything in her froze. "Um, I…uh-"

"It's really okay if you don't want to."

"No!" she half-yelled, almost too eagerly, "No, I'd love to go."

"Well, good, then. I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven?"

She nodded, unable to form words, and when he was far enough out of earshot, she didn't bother containing her girlish squeal.

XXX

"So, why did you decide to audition for the show?" Amber asked, shifting in her seat across the table from Link.

"Well, I love to dance, obviously. I'd been watching the show since it started airing in September, and when they announced that Thomas was moving over Christmas break, I figured it would be the perfect time to get in."

She nodded, and a silence fell over them. "Did you…audition, or…" he trailed off, unsure of what words to choose.

"Or did my mom just put me in?"

He nodded.

"It was all my mom's idea, really. She's kind of…obsessed with making me what she couldn't be, so I'm stuck with it. I still had to audition for the producers and Corny, but with my mom controlling their salary, there was really no way around it. I know I'm not good enough. I shouldn't be on the show. But…there's nothing I can do about it."

Link smiled sympathetically. "So, you really don't like dancing at all?"

"I did, before I was forced into being the best and always being in front. I liked having fun, messing up and having no one notice, being in the back joking around while the camera was on someone else. Granted, that only lasted for a few weeks until my mom took control over everything, but before the show started, I loved to dance. Now…it's more like a chore. Like I'm pretending to be something I'm not."

"Dancing shouldn't have to feel like work, Amber. You should be having fun, showing who _you_ are." He paused for a moment, scanning the room around them, and smiled. "Come on." He said, jumping up and taking her hand to pull her along after him.

"Where are we going?" she asked, struggling to keep up.

"You'll see."

He reached into his car when they reached the parking lot, turning on the radio. A ballad was playing, the music flowing and swirling around them. Link took Amber's hands in his and she realized that they were in position to dance, right there in the middle of the parking lot.

"Link, what are you doing?"

"Showing you that it can be fun if you let it."

She let her arms find their way around his neck as he placed his hands on her waist, swaying back and forth to the music. As the song progressed, her head had ended up leaning on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. The song ended abruptly, sooner than she'd wanted, and she broke apart reluctantly.

"That was…fun." She said, smiling, "I didn't feel like people were watching me. Judging me."

"That's how it should feel all of the time," Link replied, smiling back at her, "It shouldn't be a chore."

They moved to sit in the car, slowly, and Link began to drive towards her house. They sat in an awkward silence most of the drive home, both thinking about the evening and the dance.

They reached her house and he walked her up to the door, Amber regretting that the night was coming to a close.

"I had a great time," she said, "Thank you for…everything."

"I had a great time, too." He answered, shifting back and forth awkwardly.

Gradually, he moved forward, inching closer to her, until their lips me in a soft and tentative kiss. It began to feel more comfortable and she felt him take her hand in his, smiling against her lips as they broke apart.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow. Goodnight, Amber."

"Goodnight, Link." She replied, almost inaudibly, and she stood on her front step watching him drive away, raising a hand to touch her lips. She smiled, turning to go inside.

She had always put on a great façade of having knowledge and experience in every area imaginable, and she vowed that no one, her own mother included, would ever know her secret: that had been her first real kiss.


End file.
